ML19249B011
| ML19249B011 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | Crane  |
| Issue date: | 05/23/1979 |
| From: | Cooper V METROPOLITAN EDISON CO. |
| To: | |
| References | |
| NUDOCS 7908290170 | |
| Download: ML19249B011 (33) | |
Text
,f UNITED STATES OF AMERICA r
NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION 1,
In the Matter of:
2 IE TMI INVESTIGATION INTERVIEW 3!
of Mrs Victor Cooper Control Room Operator, Nuclear 4
5 6
71 I
8 Trailer #203 9
NRC Investigation Site TMI Nuclear Power Plant 10 Middletown, Pennsylvania 11l May 23, 1979 12 (Date of Interview) 13 July 3, 1979 (0 ate Transcript Typed) 14 249 15I (Tape Number (s))
16 17 I
181
/
ono NRC PERSONNEL:
'22 Mr. Robert D. Martin 23 Mr. Darwin Hunter Mr. Mark E. Resncr 24, 896 185 25 l
1 I
RESNER:
This is an interview of Martin V. as in Victor Cooper, C 1 0-P-E-R.
Mr. Cooper is employed with Metropolitian Edison Company at 2
.3 the Three Mile Island Facility.
His job title is Control Room Operator, Nuclear.
The present time is 7:20 a.m., eastern daylight time.
4 5
Today's date is May 23, 1979.
Individuals present representing the 6
NRC at this interview are Mr. Martin, Robert D. as in David, Martin, M-A-R-T-I-N.
7 Mr. Martin is the Chief, the Nuclear Support Section No. 1, Region II of The U. S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Also 8
g; present is Mr. Darwin, i.e., D-0-R-W-I-N, Hunter.
Mr. Hunter is an Inspection Specialist, temporarily assigned to Region III, U. S.
Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Moderating this interview is Mark, M-A-R-K, E. as in error, Resner, R-E-S-N-E-R.
I am an investigator with I
The Office of Inspector and Auditor, Headquarters, The U. S. Nuclear 13j I
Regulatory Commission.
The location of this interview is Trailer 203.
14!
15l It's located just outside of the south gate of the Three Mile Island l
Facility.
Prior to taping this interview Mr. Cooper was given a two-16j l
page document.
This document explains the purpose, scope and the 17 authority with wh;c.h the U. S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission has to 18l conduct this investigation.
In addition, we apprised Mr. Cooper that 19 he is entitled to a representative of his choice to be present through 20 the interview if he chooses to have one.
Also it apprised Mr. Cooper 21 that in no way is he compelled to talk with us if he does not want to.
22 On the second page of this document, Mr. Cooper has answered three 23 questions.
I will state these questions for the record.
No. 1, Do 24 l
you understand the above? Mr. Cooper has checked "Yes".
Is that 25l l
correct Mr. Cooper?
896 186 i
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2 1.
COOPER:
That's correct.
2 :
RESNER:
Question 2, Do we have your permission to tape the interview?
3 4
Mr. Cooper has checked "Yes".
Is that correct Mr. Cooper?
5 COOPER:
That's correct.
6 7
RESNER:
8 Question 3, Do you want a copy of this tape? Mr. Cooper has checked "Yes".
Is that correct?
g 10' COOPER:
That's correct.
I 12' RESNER:
We will provide you with a copy of the tape at the conclusion of this interview.
At this time I would like to ask Mr. Cooper if he I
would briefly state his educational and job experiences related to 15; this job that he currently performs.
Mr. Cooper.
16 17, COOPER:
Okay.
I graduated from high school in 1967.
Went to St. Frances 18l College in Brooklyn, New York for_ a year and a half.
After leaving 19l school I went and entered the United States Navy in June of 1969.
20!
After I entered boot camp, I signed up for the nuclear power program.
21 22l I spent the next two and a half years in Navy nuclear training and I qualified as a reactor operator on S3G prototype.
After leaving 23 prototype, I reported aboard the USS Ethan Allen USS BM 608, fleet 24 ballistic missile submarine.
When upon I finished out my time in the 25, t
896 187 1
t 3
1 service then I spent the next three and a half years... qualified all 2
the watch stations... most senior watch stations for my rate, reactor I
3 perator shutdown manuvering area watch.
I was also the maintinance 4
supervisor for reactor controls division on the ship.
When I was 5
discharged from the Navy I went to work at the Stone and Webster 6
Engineering Corporation in New York City in October of '75.
I worked 7
there until October of '76 where upon I went to work here at Metro-p litian Edison as an auxiliary operator A trainee.
After completing 8
g my training program of one year, successfully passing the test, I was auxiliary operator A.
About one month after that I... the CR0 job 0
opened up and I bid on it.
And I got the job and I started my nine-month training program as a CR0 Nuclear.
I took my test seven months later.
And successfully got my operator's license from the NRC.
14' RESNER:
Alright.
Thank you very much Mr. Cooper.
At this time 16l Mr. Hunter has some questions he would like to ask.
17 HUNTER:
Okay. 'You would prefer to be called Martin?
Is that 181 i
19l f
COOPER:
Martin is fine.
20 21, HUNTER:
Martin is fine? You indicated that you were in CR0 training 22 and this would have meant that you had obtained your CR0 license in 23 the fall of '78 or the summer of '78?
24 25 i
896 188 1
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4 1
COOPER:
It was the summer.
2.
3 HUNTER:
Okay.
The specific questions in the specific area that we 4,
would like to talk with you this morning, Mr. Cooper is concerns the 5
surveillance activities that were performed on the emergency feedwater 6
system during 3/20-26/1978 7
COOPER:
'79?
8 9
HUNTER:
Yes 1979 and our record review of your records and then 10 11 discussing it with some of the fellows who were involved including 12 Earl Hemmila indicated that we should chat with you about it because y u were with Mr. Hemmila at that time.
Can you, for us, place your-13 g
position that morning that this particular surveillance was being 15 performed and your specific involvement in that particular activity?
16l COOPER:
Alright.
I was control room operator on duty.
I had the desk and log book, you know.
I had the responsibility that morning.
i 18[
l Earl Hemmila was doing the surveillance being the relief shift,... my 19!
l shift was on duty.
Okay.
And while the surveillance was being performed 20t I also had ah the auxiliary operator who was out in the plant, doing the surveillance lineup of things worked through me a few times and called me on the page to manipulate valves for him, while performing a line up to do the emergency feedwater surveillance.
Okay, I was 24l l
keeping an eye on what was going on because I did have the desk, I 25j 896 189 l
I f
9 5
1 wanted to know what they were doing.
While they were doing the surveil-2 lance, you know I knew what was going on, and when it was all done we 3
were returning a lineup back to normal.
I reopened the valves in question, EFV 12A and B.
I can remember actually opening then myself.
4 5
Earl Hemmila was there and we were verifying the lineup, you know, he 6
had the lineup sheet in his hand and I was opening and I opened them 7
up and then he verified them signing off on the sheet.
8 HUNTER:
Okay, ah Mr. Lionarons was running the auxiliary operator g
p rtion of test?
10 11 vgp C00PR:
That's correct.
12 13 HUNTER:
And Earl was on the relief shift and 14) 15!
i COOPER:
He was running surveillance.
16' 17 HUNTER:
And if my understanding is right is that they do surveillance?
18l l
19 COOPER:
Right.
We have the control room operator on the surveillance 20 shift,... the relief shift runs the surveillances rather than have 21 the shift on duty being distracted.
You know what I mean
.. getting 22 really involved in those things during normal operations.
23 24 25l 8!b 190 t
t 6
HUNTER:
Okay.
Let's go through and look at the precedures specifi-1 2
cally and make sure that I understand so that I c.an get the right 3
persi.ective and the right the correct wording.
The procedure that I 4
have in front of me is a copy of the emergency feedwater... is a copy S
f the emergency feedwater surveillance 2302 27A and B.
This particular 6
pr cedure is performed monthly and it's the motor driven ~ emergency feed pump functional test and valve operability test.
And it includes 7
Section 1 which is the purpose, Section 2 which is the applicable g
surveillance mode and Section 3 which is limitations and precautions, g
Section 4 which is the... identifies the locations of the systems, Section 5 which identifies the equipment that's required to perform i
this particular surveillance including a vibration analyzer to do the 12l Section 11 testing.
Section 6 is the procedure and during the morning when you were performed this test and you as a control room operator I
can you explain..., elaborate on the method you used to set the test 15:
up and to get the test performed in order to obtain the data necessary 16' in the test?
17 18!
l COOPER:
Okay.
We start from the top cause like you know we don't 19j j
memorize these procedures because it only gets you in trouble, right, 20l 3
21!
we just go back and make a copy out of the file and get the working I
copy of the procedure which is the latest revision and make a copy of 22 it to use and mark up while running a surveillance.
Okay and then 23 we..., the CR0 we usually read through this procedure to see where 24 the pitfalls are and the things that we have to look for where something 25 l
896 191 1
7 1
y u know if the A0 did't understand what was going on or the auxiliary 2,
operator would have to explain it to them or else say stop at this 3
point and give me a call just you know say I've got to do something in 4l the control room.
I usually mark in on there and tell them you do 5
these sections and after you've done this give me a call and then I'll 6
do my section then you go back to doing yours.
That's the way we 7
normally do surveillance procedures.
Okay now on this we would give 8
the auxiliary operator the initial valve lineup to do, which is in the back of the procedures.
g 10 HUNTER:
Alright, Mr. Cooper is referring to Appendix A and Appendix B which is the valve lineup to be performed to set the system up to do the surveillance.
14!
15 {;
COOPER:
That's correct.
i 16(
HUNTER:
And would the would the auxiliary operators sign this particular document off?
18j 19!
t COOPER:
He'd put his initials next to on every blank space next to 20 each valve that he put those valves in that position required by the 21 procedure.
22 23 HUNTER:
Do you recall that being done that morning?
24 25 l
896 192 t
i
8 1
COOPER:
Yes.
2' 3
HUNTER:
Okay.
Was this what's Mr. Lionarons' was that what's his 4
first name?
5 COOPER:
Kevin 6
7 HUNTER:
Kevin.
8 9
COOPER:
10 He usea to be on our shift and from working with him he always signed every step of the procedure off, just you know from g
experience of working with him he always was one of the guys you know g
some people get a little sloppy, and other people are real particular and he's one that's real particular about signing off every step as he does it.
16 HUNTER:
Okay.
Continue at that particular point then?
18l COOPER:
Okay.
Now he'd do the valve lineup and he'd call the control room to tell us the valve lineup was done, and he'd have his test equipment with him, the IRD meter for measuring pump vibration and 21 everything and we'd go to the point in the procedure..., okay says to 22 perform Appendix A.
23 24 Ohb lI3 25 I
9 HUNTER:
1.
Okay, and you were performing some of those valve manipu-2 lations from the control room?
3 4
COOPER:
That's correct.
5 HUi4TER:
Alright.
Were you performing....
S 7
COOPER:
But he verifies them.
Okay, when he does Appendix A, what he g
did this particular morning was he verified them himself.
That's the g
wy e es R.
10 11l HUNTER:
Would he have come back to the control room or would he do it locally?
14:
15ll COOPER:
No.
He did it in the control room.
Before he left the control rocm we gave him the valve ~t neup to do.
He lined up the 16i
{
valves in the control room that he could do before he left then he went out and did the local valves.
18 19l HUNTER:
Alright, fine.
201 21 COOPER:
Okay.
After doing Appendix A he'd call me and then we'd fill out this data status sheet and record pump inlet pressure from this gauge.
24 2s 896 194 6
l
10 1
HUNTER:
Okay.
2 3
COOPER:
Okay and just go down and verify lube oil and those things.
4 And then he'd have to come up to the control station and open this I
S valve EFV27A.
6 HUNTER:
Is there a local control on the EF flow valves also?
7 8
COOPER:
I believe there is.
I'm not sure of the exact location.
g 10 HUNTER:
Okay.
Did he..., the pump was running and then he would set up to set the pump up te 7et this specific engineering data that you need, right?
14}
COOPER:
Right.
s 151 16 HUNTER:
The valves were lined up, run for five minutes, let the temperatures come up to normal, take three successive readings or obtain three sucepssive readings, he uses the
.., then he records this data?
20 21 COOPER:
Right.
And then he gives them to us to do the calculations 22 and make sure the data is..., meets specifications.
23 24 25 8 9 /)
]95
.. ll
.E 11 1
HUNTER:
Okay, Martin what would Mr. Lionarons have with him? You 2j have computer green sheets s ich are the scheduling and the signoff n
3 sheet, would he have these with him at thtt time?
4l l
5' COOPER:
Normally he woula't have the green sheet with him because 6
they sometimes get messed up while doing valve lineups. 'We'd keep the 7
green sheet in the control room.
We'd use that just as a mark to tell us to get the procedure dut.
He would have...
8[
9 HUNTER:
Would he have the data sheet?
10 11 COOPER:
He would have the entire copy of the procedure now.
i 13l f
HUNTER:
Okay, the entire procedure whicn would include the data 14; sheet....
15 l
16!
COOPER:
Data sheets and the valve lineup.
Yeah.
18l HUNTER:
That..
19 20I COOPER:
He'd have a copy and I'd have a copy.
21 22 HJNTER:
Okay.
You were actually, if I understand it, was usino the 23 copy out of the master file so you don't write on it.., ir your 24i I
case?
25 l
896 196
i 1
12 l
1 COOPER:
No.
When using the work copy we don't write on that.
2 3
HUNTER; Okay.
Completed now 6122 step indicates that EFV12A, B is 4
open, do you recall that particular step?
5 6
COOPER:
This is a bad questior I'll tell you what happened here.
o 7
HUNTER:
Okay.
8 9
COOPER:
10 We had to run the surveillancs on both pumps.
You can see in 3
the procedure they write the valve nurnber EFV12A and then its paren-thesis B.
Now B is if you happen to be doing B pump, you know they' write the valve numbers okay.
We were going on to do the next pump so we left them shut because we have to have them shut, to do the other pump too.
Okay so we didn't exactly follow tnat part of the procedure 15 l
right there because we needed it for the next lineup so we didn't reopen the EFV12A and B at that time, Okay.
Once we completed running the test on the other feedwater... emergency feedwater pump, is when l
we reopened it.
19]
i 20' HUNTER:
Okay.
Would you cover again the end of the procedure...,
the data that's taken he come probably come back up stairs after he 22 had done all cf his equipment or he may wait and come up later.
23 24 896 197 25;,
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1 COOPER:
Okay.
These procedures they can't be followed specifically.
2 Okay.
It 5ays we gat to measure and record the pump vibrations and 3
then you write down and you indicate the higher of the two vibrations 4
and has to stop the pump, the next step says remove the Eagleye meter, 5
we don't do that, right? because the instrument department has to do 6l that part and they are not the Eagleye meter doesn't have to be removed j
right away.
It can sit there.
So you know there are steps that don't g
get done right away because we have to wait until the instrument department does it.
The particular Eagleye meters are left permanently g
installed now-a-days.
At least they have been for the past few months.
10 11f HUNTER:
Okay.
I understand.
So the pumps off, then he would come g
back up?
14 9
15 16l HUNTER:
Then you would, you would..., as the control room operator, would pick up the EF12 valves?
19f COOPER:
Right.
20 21, HUNTER:
What about the 8 valves?
22 23 COOPER:
Them to.
We had trouble that particular morning realigning 24 the 8 valves.
25 89c 198 i
14 1
HUNTER:
What was the problem that morning?
2 3
COOPER:
They wouldn't reopen.
We couldn't get proper indication in 4{
the control room.
And they weren't opening all the way so had to send t
Sj Kevin Lionarons out to play with the valves again.
I can't remember 6
exactly what we had to do to get them back into the right position.
7 But I remember we had a problem reopening those valves.
8 HUNTER:
Okay, and then the 12 valves you opened okay?
g 10 COOPER:
Right.
g 12 HUNTER:
13 After the feed test or the problem test whichever one you did first?
15l j
9 16 i
17 8
HUNTER:
And then the 7 valves were closed?
19l COOPER:
Right.
20i 21 HUNTER:
Is that at the control board or 22 23 COOPER:
That's in the control room.
24 09b l99 l
15
{
1 HUNTER:
Okay.
And what about 39 and 40 valves?
2, 3
COOPER:
That's a leal control.
4.
HUNTER:
5 So Mr. Lionarons would have performed that particular valve...
6{
COOPER:
Right.
7 l
i HUNTER:
W<ay.
Did you have any trouble with the 12 valves that g
- #" "9 10 11, COOPER:
No we didn't.
13 HUNTER:
Okay.
The test is complete and then the number of hours it lo/
took to perform the test is filled out on the green sheet, I guess?
i 16 COOPER:
Uh huh.
i 17 18l HUNTER:
I noticed in this package it included the green sheet, included the cover sheet and this apparently came off of...,
20' 21 COOPER:
the copy 22 23 HUNTER:
the the procedures that Mr.
had 24 25l 896 200 t
f
16 1
COOPER:
Right I
2' 3
HUNTER:
The copy of the procedures and then the data sheets?
4j COOPER:
Uh huh.
5 6l 7
HUNTER:
Did you tear the procedure a part and put these particular g
pieces in here?
9 COOPER:
No.
As I said I was the operator on duty Earl nemmila and 10 11 Kevin Lionarons are actually responsible for getting the surveillance done.
Okay?
12, Normally, okay we used to do it where when we did a 73 surveillance where we would put the whole procedure in with the green g
sheet and we would have to send it to the file.
Well the files are getting too big and somebody decided all we needed was the data sheets 35 because that was the specifications that we had to meet.
We didn't g
keep the valve line ups, the signed off steps of the procedure anymore, We just started.
Once the surveillance was done and the requirements I
were met all we kept was the data sheets to prove that we'd met the 19l I
surveillance requirements we threw away the rest of the stuff.
The 20l cover sheet doesn't even have to be there the way we were, you know, operatir.g.
Just that the signed off data sheet with the correct data and the green sheet.
24 25 896 201 i
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17 l
l 1
HUNTER:
Okay.
So as I understand it then all of the sections six one i
26 and six two which were to perform that test that morning, did you 3
indicate that they had been signed off and the Appendix to valve line-4; ups had been signed off that morning?
5 6
COOPER:
I didn't indicate it.
Kevin Lionarons indicated it.
He 7
signed off the procedure.
E g'
HUNTER:
Okay.
Did you see the Appendix A and B?
10 11l I did see them before he handed them in, yes I did.
COOPER:
12 HUNTER:
Were they signed off?
13 14:
COOPER:
As far as I can remember.
You know I couldn't guarantee that 5
p int, but I remember seeing them.
Like I said, my past working with 16 I
Kevin he is very meticulous about that kind of thing and making sure that he is following procedures.
19i i
HUNTER:
Alright, what about Sections six one and six two, did you look at that?
Do you recall seeing that?
f 22 COOPER:
No, I don't remember recalling, I don't recall that.
24 25i 896 202 i
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1.
HUNTER:
But you do specifically recall opening the 12 valves for l
2' instance?
I.
3l COOPER:
Yes I do.
4l 5
HUNTER:
Okay.
Now would Earl or the surveillance CR0 then put the 6
7 package together and give it to the shift foreman? You've been....
I COOPER:
Right.
It would be g
10[
HUNTER:
relief as a relief control monitor?
g 12 COOPER:
Sure it would either.., normally the CR0 would do it or the auxiliary operator who had done the surveillance.
You know, once we got..., he signed off the data sheet.
If he signed off he doesn't really need Earl Hemmila to hand the green sheet to.., the surveil-lance sheets to the shift foreman.
He could just fill them in...,
- told, he already told Earl, I don't know if that's what he did, he already told Earl the data was satisfactory.
Earl looked at the data, 19f I'm sure Earl looked at the data but he doesn't I don't know which one 20h I
would hand it to the foreman.
21l l
22l H_UNTER: Okay the foreman would end up.getting it and then it would be...
24, t
2sl 896 203 l
.i I
19 1
COOPER:
Yeah.
2' 3
HUNTER:
Now how about the steps in six one and six two when you were 4
this particular morning you said that procedure requirements for that 5
particular part of the procedure was taken care of by Earl and Kevin?
6 COOPER:
Yeah.
ihey were taken care of but I was there too.
I got 7
8 inv lved when they were returning to normal I wanted to see what they were doing.
I was standing there at the panel.
I happen to have g
n thing else to do at the time.
And when we were going down the list 0
you gotta open this and you gotta shut that.
I remember opening EFV12s.
13 HUNTER:
Okay.
The ah after the package was assembled and this l
particular morning did you see the assembled package or was that done 15[
16l behind you l
I 17l l
COOPER:
Yeah.
That was done behind me.
18 19 HUNTER:
During the times when you have been the surveillance CR0 and 20l coming in it and probably done in this procedure in fact 21 22 COOPER:
Right.
23 096 204 24 25 I
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l 1!
HUNTER:
directed into it.
What did you normally do with this Sec-1 2l tion 6 of the procedures?
l 3) 4l COOPER:
Throw them away.
i 51 I
61 HUNTER:
That would mean that...
7 8
COOPER:
That's the valve line up section 9
HUNTER:
the valve line ups are discarded 10 11 COOPER:
12!
the valve line ups, all the steps in telling you exactly what 13 to do and how to follow procedure once the surveillance is completed.
All we save is Appendix B.
14 15j HUNTER:
Is this the complete package?
16 r
17l COOPER:
... data sheets.
So all we save is the data sheets and we 181 l
attach them with the green sheets.
And the shift foreman signs them.
19!
I 20 HUNTER:
Okay.
22 HUNTER:
You had the..., you were on the day shift on the 26th?
24 25l 896 2{Jb I
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21 1
COOPER:
Right.
The last day of the day shift.
2 3
-HUNTER:
Al right.
And then you went on days off the 27th? Do you 4l recall any maintenance or any activities around the emergency feedwater 5
system or the pumps during that day shift?
6 7
COOPER:
No, I don't.
8 HUNTER:
That you were on? Okay.
Ah during your previous experience g
10, as a control room operator in training or on the panel in training or 11 after you obtained your license, have you ever seen the EF12 valves closed?
12 13 COOPER:
You mean except for surveillance and ah - No.
15 HUNTER:
Maintenance have you ever seen them tagged closed for mainte-nance activities?
18l l
COOPER:
I probably have but I wouldn't recall it.
l 20' HUNTER:
Have you ever seen them closed for any other reason at all?
Have you found them closed?
23 COOPER:
No.
Like I've been on the panel and notice them closed when 24l they shouldn't be?
No.
25 896 206 l
l.
22 1,
HUNTER:
Looking, not just at the 12 valves, but also the same thing 2
would apply for the EF5 valves which are header cross connect valves, 3
have you ever found those closed?
Or the pumps in an abnormal condition 4
and had to put them back to normal?
5 COOPER:
Ah the 5s no, but the 7s and 8s I know we found out of 6
7 p sitions, the EFV 7s and 8 valves.
8 HUNTER:
g Would you elaborate on if you can on the 7s and 8s? What 10 w uld the 7s do if they are out of position? And what would the 8s do if they are out of position?
g 12 COOPER:
Okay.
I always get the numbers backward cause the valves are 3
g labelled there but basically the ones I don't know if they would be 8s r 7s lines the emergency feed pump up for recirc to the condenser and 15 i
other valves would line it up for recirc to the condensate storage 16l tanks.
17 18{
l HUNTER:
So that's the that is the recirc pass would that be detrimental 19; I
to the pump performance as the emergency feedwater pump?
21 COOPER:
No.
22 23 HUNTER:
Martin, is there any possibility that these valves the 7s and 24 the 12s would be would be mixed up, in other words, that by a mistake 25 I
895 2(17 i
23 1,
someone could have in fact opened the 7s and closed the 12s? Are they 2;
in a close enough proximity that that might occur?
3 4
COOPER:
You know..., like 7s and 8s are located around here and the 5
12s are located....
Okay, say the 7s and 8s are arm's length from 6
the right and the left and if you drop back to your elbow length then 7
the metal you got like the 12 valves.
8 gl HUNTER:
The 128 is on top is above the 12A they are vertical like s?
10 11 COOPER:
They are vertical right.
g I
13 HUNTER:
What's the position of the 7s and 8s?
Are they horizontal or vertical?
15i 16!
COOPER:
I don't recall.
17l 18{
HUNTER:
Have you ever had that problem? Where maybe you have closed 19; the wrong valve or opened the wrong valve because the 8 valves 5s and the 8s being in that location?
I 22 COOPER:
Not with those valves, no.
23 24 896 208 25 l
24 1,
HUNTERi Okay.
Any, go ahead Bob.
2 3
MARTIN:
Describe the actions of those valves, are they small acting 4{
valves, the 12s for example what I'm thinking of, do.you have to hold?
5 6
COOPER:
You don't have to hold the switch.
Once you put your switch 7
to open the valves open.
8 MARTIN:
g Okay, does the indicator on the valves when they show open do 10 they come on right away?
11 COOPER:
12l The red light will come on right away.
And you will have red 13 and green indications until the valves are fully open.
14 MARTIN:
You have any idea of what the stroke time is on those valves?
5 16 COOPER:
No.
I believe that's in that procedure.
18l l
MARTIN:
There in the..., are they in the order of 2 2-1/2 inch size 19l valves?
20 21 COOPER:
I'm not sure.
You would have to look at a print.
23 MARTIN:
By this same token did you swing the valve this position 24 control was closed will the valve stroke totally closed or does it 25 have to be held?
896 209 i
i
25 COOPER:
1, No, it will stroke all the way closed.
2; t
3 MARTIN:
So it's a momentary switch in both cases, at all times?
4 COOPER:
Right.
It's not a jog valve at all.
5 6
HUNTER:
Martin, on your routine sitift, do you specifically have any 7
g technique for surveying your panel or asserting that all valves are in their appropriate positions?
Realizing it's not documented possibly g
but it's something that you use to check your panel?
0, 11 COOPER:
I don't really have anything specific you know I look it over and you just from being an operator for so long you get used to looking at the panel and you look for something that's out of place.
And quite often you do pick up something that's out of place and you just 15,1 kind of scan the panel.
But some of the panels it's real easy, like the ES position indication panel, that's panel 13, I forget the panel number but they have white lights for valves when are in the ES position, 19f and then they have different colored lights for when they are not in l
the ES position, so if the valves are in the ES position it's real 20 easy to tell, you have a white board there.
That's one of the things 21 I thought afterwards which would have been nice if normal position of 22 the valve was the same color light and you could look at your board 23 and you would see a light board.
You know it would strike you right 24 away if the color was out of place.
25 896 2iG t
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26 1
HUNTER:
Okay.
Looking at the same surveillance, part of the procedure 2,
indicates that when they do the Appendix A and the B valve line ups 3
that they notify the shift foreman or the shift superviser immediately 4
during the performance of the A and the 8 Appendixes, you know, which 5
ne they need to do?
If anything is out of normal that they would 6
that the operatars in the field or in the control room would immediately 7
notify the shift supervision, if something was wrong? Have you ever had that occur?
8 9
es.
10 11' HUNTER:
Can you elaborate on it?
13 14l COOPER:
I couldn't tell you specifically, but I know in doing different 15l valve line ups and surveillances I always give the auxiliary operator 16l instructions and the verify the line up just as it is become any valves that are out of position call me in the control room.
If he calls me in the control room, you know, figure out what the valve is and how it affects the operation and if we're gonna move its position, we'll tell the shift foreman.
2g 21.
HUNTER:
Martin, when you run into something like that, what's your 22 management mechanism or formal mechanism for handling that or is it 23 strictly a verbal?
24 25j blb 2il l
t l
1
27 1
COOPER:
Strictly verbal.
2 3
HUNTER:
Is there any way that I can go back and find in a control 4
room log or in a shift supervisor's log, that you are aware of, the 5
d cumentation of a valve out of position during a normal surveillance?
6 COOPER:
Nope.
7 C
l HUNTER:
g Would the operator have logged it on his valve line up sheet as being out of position?
10 lit I
COOPER:
Possibly, but I doubt it.
12j 13 HUNTER:
Depends on the operator who was doing the job?
i 15j j
COOPER:
Right.
16 f
17 HUNTER:
If that particular valve, for instance, he's doing the valve lineup and if say, takes suction valve on the emergency feedwater pumps, that would put you in violation of tech specs maybe because you 20 don't you have no suction for your feed pumps.
That is an example okay, I'm not but that particular valve would put you in violation of 22 tech specs because you then have an inoperable system?
23 24 2s 896 212 t
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28 COOPER:
Yes it would.
lj I
21 3
HUNTER:
Okay.
Take that as an example, would that be handled any 4
different differently than what you said before?
5 COOPER:
Sad to say no.
6 7
HUNTER:
No it wouldn't be?
8 9
COOPER:
It would be reopened and the feeling would be that the system's 10j now returned to normal so 12l HUNTER:
What about the what about notifying management so that they g
can go back and find out why it was closed and correct it? This would strictly have been verbal and i
16l COOPER:
Right.
We'd tell the shift foreman that we found the valve that's out of position and we're gonna open it or shut it, as the case may be and he'd say "okay".
And it wouldn't as far as I know there wouldn't be any documentation.
Now something if the valve you know, the only valves I could think of where there would be a note made of 21 it was a suction valve on a makeup pump because of the history of 22 makeup pumps here at the island.
Primary system makeup pump.
23 24 2s 896 213 i
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[
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29 1
HUNTER:
Understanding that if the suction valve were left closed, the 2
pump would destroy itself, is that the truth?
3:
4 COOPER:
Right.
5 HUNTER:
That kind of a level of a problem because of the previous 6l 7
experience might be reported?
8 COOPER:
Right.
g 10 gj MARTIN:
Let me approach that tag problem, on the day that this surveil-lance was done, do you recall if that controller above the 12 valves g
99* "
E 13 14l COOPER:
I don't recall if it was tagged.
I know the tag has a date on it from before then.
I don't recall if it was tagged or not.
17, MARTIN:
As a general rule, do you have a number of tags usually 18[
mounted on the control panels?
19!
20 COOPER:
Yeah.
Too many.
I hate those damn tags.
Those caution tags get in the way.
Like pecole claim that they have covered the indica-tion up there and they are always doing that.
Those caution tags people somebody decides to put one on and. hey get slapped on, a piece 24 of equipment they just sit there and dangle and they say something 25 I
89b 214 i
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30 1
ridiculous like get the shift foreman's permission before operating.
2 Which, you know, if you're gonna do something you're gonna have the 3
foreman's permission anyway.
Nobody's gonna if you don't want them to 4j know you are not gonna ask them.
They say really stupid tnings and I
S they only get in the way.
As you can see right now up there after the 6
accident somebody decided that what we needed was a caution tag on our 7
reed containment isolation valve and they just papered the wall with em, We got caution tags everywhere.
8 9
MARTIN:
Then ah based on what you've just said, you've been irritated 10 r had problems of one sort or another with caution tags before either 11 bscuring the view or getting in the way when you wanted to manipulate 12j something?
3 14!
I COOPER:
Right.
15!
i 16!
l HUNTER:
Martin, who specifically again was with you when you opened 17l l
the EF12 valves and performed the final steps of this procedure?
18[
19' COOPER:
Earl Hammila.
20l l
21l HUNTER:
Earl was there.
Was he with you at that moment?
22 23 COOPER:
Yes, he was.
24 2s 896 215 t
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HUNTER:
Anyone else in the area that 2
3 COOPER:
There were other people in the area but I don't think they 4
realized what we were doing.
5 HUNTER:
Okay.
So it should be between you and Earl as far as any 6
7 remembering of the valves actually getting manipulated, okay.
Was Kevin Lionarons there at that time or was he off?
g 9
COOPER:
10 I think he was still out in the plant and he came up later and verified that they were open.
Cause he was signing off his copy of the procedure.
13 6
HUNTER:
Then after you had opened the valves you are indicating that 14' I
he also later came up and verified them over?
15j 16 COOPER:
Yeah.
He came up and verified the light indication.
But he wouldn't come up and operate a switch on the c~ontrol panel.
191 HUNTER:
I understand that.
20 21j COOPER:
Yeah.
22 23 HUNTER:
But that's a good point because that gives some substantiation 24 and credibility to an independent verification, not that you didn't 25' 896 216
(
32 1
open them but independent verification that they weren't backed open, 2
that for some unusual reason when you let go of the switch it flipped, 3
and shut it again.
Have you ever seen that happen?
4 5
COOPER:
No.
6 7
HUNTER:
When you take a switch went to open and let go of it.
That g
it in fact had taken another position?
9 10!
COOPER:
I did see it last week.
But that was because the electricians ll; had just finished ah no we were trying to operate the ah VHV6 valves, 12 which are the reactor building containment sump isolation valves and 13 the local control switch for that valve was in the closed position so when we went to open it in the control room as soon as we let go the I
valve started going shut again.
15j i
16l l
HUNTER:
If in fact these local switches on the BF on the 12 valves 171 were in the local position and closed, would they go back closed also?
18 19l i
COOPER:
I don't think so, cause they are push button type.
20!
l 21j HUNTER:
Okay.
Can you give us any insight on how a valve would have 22j gotten closed and it may be subjecting, that may be anything how the valves got closed after you opened them?
25i Olb 2l7 I
t i
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33 1
COOPER:
No I don't.
2 3
HUNTER:
Two days there and they were closed?
4 COOPER:
I don't have rec, you know, I don't have any idea.
5 6
HUNTER:
Okay.
Martin I have no further questions.
Appreciate your 7
time.
I have no further questions.
8 9
RESNER:
This concludes the inverview of Mr. Cooper.
The time now is 10 8:56 a.m.
12 RESNER:
Correction on the time it is 7:56 a.m.
14 15l 0EN Y
0 16 17 18(
191 20 21 22 23 24 25 l
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